Bearing structure for vacuum-cleaner brushes and the like



Aug. 14, 19280 H. T. LANG BEARING STRUCTURE FOR VACUUM CLEANER BRUSHES AND THE LIKE Filed Feb, 8, 1927 Inventor. Henry T. La mg by M Hus AttoPney;

Patented Aug. 14, I928.

UNITED? STATES PATENT j OFFICE.

HENRY T. LANG, or cLEvELANn, omo, Assrenon'zro Emc'rmo vA'douM'oLEAnnR COMPANY, me, or CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION or nEw YORK.

BEARING s'rnuc'runn. non vAcuum-onnAnnn-nnusnns- Ann TH LIKE. Y

Application filed February a, 1927.. Serial No. 166,711.

The present invention relates to bearing structures for vacuum cleaner brushes and the like. Such bearing structures are usually mounted as units with the brush in the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner, the brush being driven from the motor which drives thesuction fan. The brush'operates directly on the surface being cleaned and serves to loosen the dirt, grit' and other clinging material, such as threadsand the like, so that'the suction may remove them. The brush bearings are therefore liable to be damaged by such dirt and grit working into them and the thread-like material may often wind or wrap about the brush shaft adjacent to the bearings thereby stalling the brush and causing annoyance to the user.

Ball bearings have been used extensively in connection with vacuum cleaner brushes be cause of their accurate construction and smooth-running qualities and because they usually require no more attention than an initial lubrication, but their usehas involved the use also of carefully designed protective bearing structures to meet the operating conditions and difficulties above mentioned In making such bearing structures dust and dirt proof, permanent press fits between .true with thebrush after assembly, a numthe various parts have heretofore been resorted to with the result that while such structures gave satisfactory service, difiiculties in the way of manufacturing and later servicing the brush assembly were encountered. I For example, in the manufacturing process, if the bearing did not run ber of the parts had to be scrapped and the bearing wasnearly always ruined in the dis:

necessary to replace thewhole brush unit or at least the entire bearing assembly andthe returned unit had little' more than scrap value, also representing a loss.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an' improved bearing structure for avacuu'm cleaner brush which permits the safe and continuous use of ball and similar accuratebearings therein under the adverse o'perating conditions ordinarily met with in vacuum cleaners and which may .be easily assembled and disassembled without injury to any of the parts thereof, whereby the above-mentioned manufacturingand servicing difliculties and attendant losses may be obviated; A further object of theinvention is to provide a bearing structure of the character above named which employs in its construct tion easily manufactured parts and ajminimum number of packings which are r of simple design.

For a consideration of what is believed to be novel and the invention, attention is now directed to the accompanying drawing, the

following description thereof and the ap pended claims. In the drawing,'Fig; 1 isa front view, partly 1n section, ofa vacuum cleaner having a brush equipped with bearings embody.-

Fig. 1 of the brush supporting means; Fig.

4' is an exploded sectional view of the bearing construction shown in Fig. 2 but' on a slightly-smaller scale 'which is approximately full size; Fig 5 is a sectionalview of a detail modification of Fig. 2 on the same scale as Fig. 2; and Figs; 6 and 7 are detail views of certain parts shown in Figs. "2 and A on the same scale as'Fig. 4.

1 Referring to the drawing,5 indicates a vacuum cleaner havingfa nozzle 6 in which is mounted a, brush. and bearinge unit 7;

This unit is s .pported at'its ends by knurled or roughened end, nuts 8 whichareheldin slots 9 in'disks' 10 by meansfofspring fingers 1,1, the disks being suitably fixed: to the end walls of t he'nozzlefi by screws .12; The brushisdrive'n by a belt 13 whichfruns on a pulley 14". onthe brush and .afpulley 15 on the end-of shaft 16 of the motor which operates the suction fan 'of the vacuum cleaner" vThe construction thus far described is a known oneand is to be taken as typical of any suitable vacuum cleaner structure.

; Referring now particularly to Figs. 2 and A, 17 is the brush cylinder which is in the form of a simple metal tube provided with a wooden dowel or core 18 over which, at each end, the tube edgesare rolled, as indicated at 10, to firmly secure the dowel in place and prevent longitudinal movement thereof.

On each end of the brush tube is secured a cylindrical bearing housing 20 which is a simple tubular member having a flanged end 21. The latter is provided with an annular groove 22. The interior of the bearing housing at one end is adapted to be pressed onto the brush tube for a distance sutlicient to make a firm connection therewith and being tubular and having a flange. it is easily removable therefrom if necessary without injury to itself or the brush tube. At the opposite end, the interior of the bearing housing forms a cylindrical bearing chamber 23 (Fig. 4) and 1s counterbored to provide a shoulder 24 adjacent and spaced from the end of the brush tube at the inner end of the bearing chamber. The bearing housing is also internally threaded or tapped for a short distance within the outer end of the bearing chamber, as indicated at 25.

Shoulder 24 forms a support for a metal disk 26 which fits the interior of the bearing chamber with a sliding fit and which forms a closure for the inner end of saidchamber when seated on the shoulder. The space between the disk and the end of the brush tube is filled by a packing 27 of felt or similar m. terial, which is in the form of a simple fiat disk.

Seated against disk 26 is the bearing proper 28, which in the present example is a simple ball bearing having an annular row of balls held between an outer'shell or race 29 and an inner race 30. The outer shell of the bearing makes a free sliding fit with the interior of the bearing chamber and is held in a seated position against disk 9.6 by an externally threaded ring or nut 31 which engages threads 25. The nut is turned by engaging a screw driver slot 32, Fig. 7, with a screw driver and is tightened only sufiiciently to fully seat the bearing. The thread of the nut is then lightly prickpunched, as indicated at 33, to lock the nut. This doesnot interfere with the easy removal of the nut but prevents it from loosening by vibration.

As a cover for the bearing and to permit the nut to be easily tightened, a washer 34 is placed between it and the bearing. This is similar to disk 26 and engages only the outer race of the hearing. The. outer race is thus secured to the bearing housing and brush tube and rotates therewith.

The inner race 30 isstationary in operation and is connected with the knurled supporting nut 8 by a fixed stud 35 which at one end is shouldered. as indicated. at 36. and threaded, as indicated at 37 and which at the opposite-end is reduced in diameter, as indieated at 38, to pass through the inner. race.

The stud and hearing are united before assembly by placing the latter on the stud and heading over the end 38, as indicated at 39. The stud thus held coaxial with the bearing housing and brush tube by the bearing. It passes through washer 3t and bearing lock nut 31 with a loose running fit. The latter is recessed on its inner face to receive a pack ing washer 40 of felt or similar material which packs about the stud. The packing washer is mounted in the nut before assembly and is held therein by friction.

Between the knurled supporting nut 8 and shoulder 36 on the stud is clamped a cylindrical cup-shaped thread guard -11 which surrounds and substantially encloses the flanged end 21 of the bearing housing in spaced coaxial relation thereto. The body of the stud is of such length that when mounted in the bearing housing, shoulder 36 holds the thread guard also in spaced relation to the end of the housing to insure a wide running clearance and provides a chamber 42 between it and the flange end. The thread guard is-of such diameter that the annular space between the flange and the side walls of the thread guard is only great enough to insure a running clearance between them. This provides asecond chamber 43 of annular form between chamber 42 and the dust-laden air surrounding the brush.

The bearing is thus protected by what may be termed two dead air chambers or spaces 12 and 43 and a sealing packing 40, which is located between two sealing Walls provided by the bearing clamping ring or nut 31 and washer 34. On the opposite side, the bearing is protected from dust or dirt, which may work down through a bruslntuft and along the space between the brush tube 17; and dowel 18, by a packing provided by felt disk 27 and metal disk 26 which form practically a solid seal. The bearing is thus amply proteeted, at the same time being easily accessible by unscrewing the knurled nut 8, sliding off the thread guard 41 and unscrewing the retaining or clamping nut 31, the assembly and disassembly relation of these parts being shown more clearly in Fig. 4.

In tightening or loosening the knurled supporting nut 8, the stud is held by holding the thread guard 41 which has a central opening 44, as shown in Fig. 6, through which the stud passes and which is flaton one side, as indicated at 45. to correspond in shape to a section 46 of the stud adjacent shoulder 36 over which section the guard is located when clamped against shoulder 36. This provides a simple and effective keying together of the two parts. The knurled supporting nut 8 is transversely divided, as indicated at 47, so that one part thereof may be tightened against the other as a locking means after the thread guard is drawn tightly against shoulder 36.

' the fiange '2lfully Within it, as shown in this common form of annoyance.

F ig, 2. This arrangement serves to prevent threads from wrapping about the hub of the bearing housing and climbin the shoulder 48 formed by the flange thereby eliminating V In Fig. 5 is shown a modification of the locking means for a supporting nut which is indicated at 49. In this arrangement the locking means isa screw 50 instead of a 'portion of the nutas in the construction shown in Fig. 2. The threaded end 37 of stud brushes and the like, said structure comprisis tapped to receive the screw, and the nut is recessed vto receive the screw head 51 so that the latter lies flush with the end of the nut and engages the same to prevent turning.

The screw has a left-handtlu'ead, while the. nut, together with the stud, is providedwith a right-hand thread. Any tendency of the nut to loosen causes the screw to tend to tighten,'thusproviding a simpleand efl'ective lockin arrangement.

The bear ng structure thus provided is as simple in construction as the brush cylinder itself which. is a simple metal tube'with a ily a ball hearing, as other suitable typeswooden core, and is easily attached to or removed irom said cylinder. The bearing housing is a simple tubular member and the bearing being connected with the spindle or studlbefore assembly,'is easily placed .in the housing or removed therefrom by-using the stud as a handle. It is a'desirable feature of the arrangement that the construction permits the spindle or stud to be united with the hearing before assembly, by a simple riveting process, as no strain is transmitted to the inner race through the ball row and outer. race; .By this constructionthe inner race'is not stressed because'therreis no bursting pressure put upon it, no drive fit is employed and the holding means is the riveted or headed end of the stud. i

Furthermore, the bearing is not necessarmay be used. It is held in the housing by a single lock ring or nut, and a simple cupshaped stamping and nut forming the threadv guard andsupporting nut respectively complete the assembly. It will be seen that all of the parts are easily stamped or machined and are adapted for easy assembly.

In operation, supporting nut 8, stud 35," the thread guard 41 and. the inner race 3O I of the bearing are held stationary, while the brush tubeor cylinder 17 bearing housing '20, disk 26, packing disk 27, retaining nut and packing 31 and40 respectively, and the outer bearing race 29 all rotate about a common axis of the stud 35, or, more briefly, the stud, thread. guard and inner race are stationary, while the housing, outer race and packings rotate with the brush.

By the construction shown, the entire beartroublewhich may develop in the mounted in the housing-forming alseat'ifor turing trouble and attendant cost, less service:

in the field because of. less bearing trouble, and less difliculty in correcting any bearing field. What I claim'as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, isi j 1. A bearing structure for vacuum cleaner ing a tubular member having a flanged end providedwvlth an annular groove, acupcup-shaped member, a bearing in said tu-bu- -j lar member, said bearing having a radially inner rotatable member secured to thestud and a radially outer member seated in the};

tubular member, and means for said bearing member therein.

2. A bearing structure for vacuum cleaner brushes and the like, said structure comprise ing a tubular member providing a rotatabl'e bearinghousing,"a ball'bearing m0unted therein, said bearing having an outer racer slidably mounted in the housing and a st'a-fi tionary inner race, a stationary stud ,seficured 'in said inner race, a disk slidably securing the bearing-and a closure ,for the housing on one side of the bearing, means forming 'a closure for the housingon the opposite side, of the bearing, said means comprising alock nut for the bearing and awasher both oi which are mounted in the housing and which form two sealing walls, a packing between e said walls, and a cup-shaped thread guard carried by the stud which enclosesthe housing end and forms therewith pair ofi spaced substantially closed dust chambers between the bearing and the exterior portion of the bearing structure.

3'. A hearing structure for vacuum cleanerv brushes and the like said structure comprising a rotatable housing, the interior of which provides a cylindrical bearing cham- -ber having an open end and the exterior of the open-end thereof, a bearing in the chamber to which the stud is rigidly secured, said bearing being freely movable axially of the projecting end of the stud in coaxial relachamber whereby it may be withdrawn from tion to the flange, and a threaded 'cla-i'nping or inserted in the chamber as a unit with means for holding the cup-shaped member 10 the stud, a clamping ring which closes the on the stud.

5 open end of the chamber and engages the In witness whereof, I have hereunto set bearing to hold it in the chamber, a eupmy hand this 5th day of February, 1927. shaped member slidably mounted on the HENRY T. LANG. 

